Right In Front of You
by creativeone13
Summary: Some people think Hermione has it all. In fact, she is lonely, and wishes for love. Draco Malfoy has done his best to hide from the world since the war ended & wants peace. When circumstances push them together will they see what is right in front of them
1. Chapter 1

Hi Everyone! This is my first HP fic and I really hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think, good or bad comments, either way I'd like to know so I can learn =D

- I do not own Harry Potter or anything to do with it -

It was a regular Wednesday night when Hermione Granger, sitting at the kitchen table, realized that something was missing in her life. She had a flat in London, which, if a tad small, was quite nice. Her career as a journalist at the Daily Prophet was going great, and going to work was never something she dreaded, as some people did. Every day she strived to bring the magical world fact based stories, as if to make up for some of the garbage the paper had put out in earlier years. While she and her parents had had a bit of a rough patch after Hermione brought them home from Australia, they had all moved past it. Harry and Ron were still her best mates, though they didn't spend quite as much time together as they used to. This was owing to the fact that Harry was happily married to Ginny, and Ron had gotten quite serious with Lavender. All things considered, at twenty-six years old, Hermione Granger seemed to have it all.

However, that night as she moved around the kitchen cooking dinner, she glanced at the recipe for the chicken she was preparing. At the top of the page read "Serves 2". Though she must have looked at it many times before (it was one of her favorite meals), this time the phrase stuck out in her mind. What would it be like, she wondered, to not have to pack up the extra serving to have for lunch the next day? To have somebody seated across the table from her, who she could talk about her day with, and later laugh at some silly joke they had heard from a coworker and repeated for her? Hermione sighed as she thought of the two of them, her and this mystery man, this figment of her imagination. The one thing she was missing.

It was not as though her lack of companionship was crushing her – she got on just fine. It would have been nice though, she thought, to have somebody other than her cat to love her. Crookshanks was wonderful, but a pet and a man were just two very different things. Sighing, she stood to do the dishes, opting for the old-fashioned muggle method, as it would take more time. After all, it wasn't like there was anybody to rush back to. As she washed, Crookshanks wrapped himself around her ankles, and purred as she reached down the scratch him.

"You love me, don't you," she remarked to the cat, receiving a look that seemed to mean that he would if she continued scratching.

"Now if I could only find somebody who would love me for me, not just because I feed and scratch him."

Turning back to her dishes, Hermione didn't realize that the man she was looking for was much closer than she could possibly imagine. He was also one of the last people she ever thought she'd want to spend time with.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone, here is chapter 2! Special thanks to IronSpockMaster for commenting i really appreciate it =D

- I still don't own Harry Potter -

A benefit. The first benefit to be held in Malfoy Manor since the war had ended, to be precise. Draco would have almost preferred a term in Azkaban. At least in that hell, society wouldn't be able to gawk and whisper rumors about him, all the while sipping his champagne and enjoying his hospitality. When he had brought this up with his mother, Narcissa had simply told him he was worrying about nothing. It was easy for her to say – word had gotten out that she had been the one to save Harry Potter's life during the war. When the members of the magical community had heard this, they seemed quite willing to forgive, or at least forget some of the less positive things she had done during her time with Voldemort.

Even just thinking that name in his head made Draco flinch. Clutching the slightly faded mark on his arm he walked through the manor towards his bedroom, all the while passing the familiar rooms that caused him to recall things he wished with all his heart he could forget. A murder in this bedroom, torture in that one, and oh! down that hallway was the room where the muggles had been kept. The Dark Lord had liked to have a small collection handy, just in case the desire for entertainment arouse. As he made it to his room, Draco stripped off his clothes and stumbled into the shower.

One day he would get out of this place. Standing under the hot water, he promised himself that. He had even thought about moving into the muggle world, where his name would mean nothing and the mark upon his arm would not condemn him. The only reason he stayed was for his mother, although since Lucius had died in Azkaban two years ago, she had become more like her old self. She no longer had to worry about her husband rotting in that prison, and now that he had passed away, Narcissa had made peace with the past. She had even gotten back in touch with her sister Andromeda, and the two of them enjoyed visiting. His mother had particularly enjoyed the company of little Teddy on these visits, and had even had the gall to suggest that Draco might give her a grandchild or two in the future.

The suggestion was laughable, and he had told her so. Kids, in most cases, required another person, and after the war, he had served his sentence, made as many amends as he could, and then become a recluse. He worked from home, managing what was left of the Malfoy fortune and adding to it through his business ventures. He rarely went out into the magical world, much preferring the anonymity the muggle world afforded him. All in all, Draco Malfoy had dropped off the map, and his mother was about to ruin that by throwing a benefit.

It wasn't that he objected to raising money – St. Mungo's was and always had been a very deserving recipient, and had done so much good in a world that had desperately needed it. It also wasn't the fact that his mother was opening the Manor up to the public for the first time in years. As far as Draco was concerned, if they wanted to walk into this place, where so much evil had resided, let them. What they didn't know couldn't hurt them, and if they did know and still showed up, more power to them. No, the thing that was weighing heavily on Draco's mind was that he was expected to show up to this benefit, put on his best dress robes and smile, acting as though he didn't know all these people probably hated him. Even if he tried to tell them, show them even, how much he had changed, they would never believe it.

Running his hands over his head, he tried to reason with himself. Surely there was the possibility of something, anything, positive coming out of this train wreck. Stepping out of the water, Draco caught his reflection in the mirror as he walked by. In two days, Draco, along with his mother, would host a benefit that nobody would want him at. Things were supposed to get better after the war, and in many ways they had of course. But sometimes he felt as though he could have died that night at Hogwarts, and it wouldn't have mattered much - at the rate he was living his life, there wasn't much difference.


End file.
